History of the 1st Frampton Cotterell Scout Group

The very first 1st Frampton Cotterell Scout Group was formed in 1938 and its den was an old cottage near the Western Coach House pub.
One of the original scouts was Des Walker, who takes up the story.

“We started life on February 15th 1938, although there had been quite a lot of training prior to that date, so that on that evening, we were all tested for our Tenderfoot…and passed. The following week, we were all invested and presented with our badges and Necker.

"Our uniform was a bit un-uniform but we all had a proper shirt. I had corduroy shorts. But we all had to have proper stockings, which were navy blue, with two rings around the top, and, of course green garter tabs.”

The original Necker was green with a gold border. – Over the following years, brown was added to the scarf.

“Over the fireplace were two pictures, and the room was decorated with Indian signs around the top half of the four walls. We were encouraged to learn them and what they stood for, so that we could use then when we were out tracking.

“The Scout master was Mr Hodges, who had two sons, Brian and Pat, who were later the first patrol leaders.
“About a month later, a wolf cub pack was started under the leadership of Mr Gregg, a schoolteacher at the national school.

“In front of the den was a large field where we practiced our Scouting skills, like fire lighting and tent pitching.

“In August 1938, we attended our first troop camp at Williton, about a mile or so north of Watchet. We piled into the back of an open lorry with all of our gear – a bit bumpy! During the week, we did all the usual camp things, puddle and walked along the coast of Minehead.”

1st Frampton Scouts closed down in 1941. Des moved to Winterbourne Scouts as a patrol leader, and later to Coalpit Heath Scouts as their leader.

Tony Kilbe has been involved with the Scout Group since 1958 – here are his memories:

“I moved to Frampton Cotterell in July 1958 and I got into Scouting when I answered a plea form Bob Dollin for leaders – I became assistant Scout leader.

“The hut started as an old prefab building on a concrete base, which was there for about two years, until the planning permission ran out. A deal was done with a local builder to construct a proper building on the site for £3000. After a year or so, I was approached by Isa Napier, to help with the cubs.”

“During the 1970s, we were the largest group in the district. With two cub packs, two Scout troops, a venture Scout unit, and a Scout band, which played at various events, include church parishes. The band also won many awards over the years, and appeared on the cover of the Cub Scout Annual.

"Cub football was another popular activity with the boys – originally there were 20 teams. A pack played at Beesmoor Road (yellow shirts, green shorts), and a pack at Manor School (red shirts, white sleeves, like the Arsenal kit). It was even known for traffic to stop to watch the football matches!"

Memorable events over the years have included trips to London (staying at B. P. House), and the many camps to places like Miskin.

Summer camps over the years

Memories

Were you ever in the Scout band?
Did you play in the cub football team?
Where did you go camping? (Fill in the blanks)
What did you enjoy about being a Scout with 1st Frampton Cotterell Scout Group?
We want to build a bigger picture about the history of the scout group. Please contact us and share your memories with us.
Thank you.

Southcots-desc@avonscouts.org.uk

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